


your future is brighter than you'll ever know

by janie_tangerine



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Robb Stark is a Gift, Self-Esteem Issues, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-06 02:52:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4205193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janie_tangerine/pseuds/janie_tangerine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Okay, since you’re willing to hear your dad out, how about you hear me out a moment? Now, I’ve known you how long, thirteen years?”</i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>“… Yeah?”</i></p><p> </p><p><i>“Right. In thirteen years, I’ve only seen you </i>fucking stuff up <i>when you didn’t care about it in the first place. Now, who is that three years ago after breaking up with that creep came here completely smashed and said something like </i>I completely did everything wrong up to this point and I’m never going to do what I want with my life<i>?”</i></p><p>(Or: in which Robb Stark should probably give pep talks for a living in modern au.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	your future is brighter than you'll ever know

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a tumblr prompt - the anon wanted throbb and _don't you ever listen to them_. This thing happened and it was too long for dumping it with the ficlets so it gets posted separately. The title is from Fake Problems and I still only own the fluff.

“Care to explain me why Jon has found these in your class’s trash bin?”

 _What the hell, he can’t have paid attention_ , Theon thinks as he looks at the acceptance letters Robb is currently waving in front of him and as he curses being in the same class with Jon. More than that, being in the same class  _and_  Jon being seated behind him.

Damn it. He had thrown them away at school because he didn’t want his mom to see them by accident and he know she’d have tried to convince his dad to change his mind, and he _knows_  how that conversation goes.

Better for everyone if he just threw them away before she could find out and he could feel worse about it.

“Why would  _Jon_  have cared,” Theon says, figuring that if he stalls a bit it can’t hurt.

“I don’t know, because he never pays attention during physics maybe. And I know you’re trying to avoid the question.”

“Well, I  _threw them away_ , what do you think?”

Robb’s eyes suddenly turn sympathetic. “They didn’t accept you? That’s weird though, we did go through the paperwork, I thought it was a given -”

“Robb, just  _can it_ , okay?”

And - he doesn’t know what it is that gives him out in his tone, but Robb’s expression goes from sympathetic to suspicious.

“Wait a moment,” he says, and takes the first letter out of the envelope.

“Robb, don’t -” Theon tries, but it’s too late - Robb takes a step back and grabs the second, and then the third, and then the fourth. Theon just shakes his head and drops sitting on Robb’s bed, figuring that by now the cat is out of the bag.

“Theon -”

“ _Don’t_  say that -”

“Why would you even throw out  _acceptance_  letters?”

 _Yeah, good question_. He sighs, wishing he had just tore them up instead, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

“I don’t know,  _guess why_?”

They stare at each other for a moment that feels longer than it actually is, and then he can see understanding crawl up over Robb’s features.

“Don’t tell me your dad told you it wasn’t an option.”

“Well, okay, I won’t tell you, but that wouldn’t make it any less true, would it?”

“You mean that  _you got accepted to all of the places you applied to_  and he still doesn’t want to hear about it?”

“Considering neither was what he wanted,  _no,_ he doesn’t want to hear about it. Never mind -”

“Never mind what?”

“Nothing. It’s not even important.” He had tried to  _not_  think about that conversation for the last two days, but now he can’t avoid it.

“Never mind  _what_.”

Sometimes Theon forgets that Robb Stark can be the most stubborn idiot on the face of this planet when he wants to.

“He might have said that even if I went to any of those places knowing me I’d get bored after one month and fuck it up. And he’s probably right. I mean, not that he’d be the first pointing that out but -”

He stops the moment Robb’s hands go on his shoulders and  _squeeze_.

“Okay, since you’re willing to hear  _your dad_  out, how about you hear  _me_  out a moment? Now, I’ve known you how long, thirteen years?”

“… Yeah?”

“Right. In thirteen years, I’ve only seen you  _fucking stuff up_  when you didn’t care about it in the first place. Now, who is that three years ago  _after_  breaking up with that creep came here completely smashed and said something like  _I completely did everything wrong up to this point and I’m never going to do what I want with my life_?”

“Er, me? From what I remember?” Theon doesn’t really remember much of that conversation, to be honest.

“Right. Who spent the next year catching up on every class he was scraping by in? Don’t answer, we perfectly know that.”

“Yeah, and if you hadn’t nagged at me -”

“I helped you out but you were the one putting effort in it, not me. And considering that you got accepted at four out of four even if we still need to take the A-levels, I don’t see who’s fucking up here. Because sorry, but if you didn’t  _want_  that I’m pretty sure that you wouldn’t have put all that effort in it.”

Which is true. But it still doesn’t change the basics.

“That doesn’t mean I won’t -”

“Theon, really, I get it, but you do realize that preventively assuming things will go to shit when they start going well is hardly going to get you places? Or to the Royal Academy of Arts.”

… which is also true, damn him.

“Yeah, right, you still weren’t there when I showed him the letters. Just - can we not talk about it?”

“You know, I can hear that you didn’t want to throw them away. And - listen, you got this far, you can get loans, you can look at your options, and you  _know_  that you have them. Let me guess, your mom doesn’t know yet.”

“Figured that getting her hopes up was just cruel. It’s just - right, fine, I got here, and who says that it’s not where I’m going to stop? Maybe it’s better -”

“Is that you or your brothers talking? Or your dad. Or that creep you used to date.”

“ _What_?”

“I’ve been around them enough. I  _know_  it’ not really you. And you know what, just fuck them. Don’t listen to them, don’t you  _ever_  listen to them if they’re just trying to make sure you don’t do better than they did. And by the way, aren’t you trying to go to the Guildhall audition tomorrow?”

“I wanted to, but - I mean, it’s in the morning.” He’s also trying not to choke on his damned words, fuck Robb and the earnest way he says this kind of thing.

“Considering our attendance record, I think we can miss one day and just say we’re studying for A-levels if anyone asks.”

“Wait, what,  _we_?”

“Sure. Can’t I come for emotional support or  _something_?” Robb winks as he says that, and fine, maybe Theon doesn’t try to stop the couple stray tears falling from his eyes at that.

“Guess you could. Fine, you can come with me. Just - I never even thought - shit, this isn’t fucking dignified.”

At least Robb lets go of his shoulders, and for a moment he thinks that the chick flick moment might be over, but then he just sits on the bed next to him and puts an arm around him instead and - shit. Okay. Maybe he likes it a lot more than he should.

“If I give these back can I trust you not to throw them out?”

Theon huffs and  _maybe_  curls in a bit closer.

“You can, but you know what, keep them for now. I can show my mom when we come for dinner tomorrow.”

“Fine by me. And congratulations, by the way.”

“Yeah, thanks. Are we done now?”

“I think we are.” He can  _hear_  that Robb’s grinning even if he can’t see his face, and - all right. Fine. Maybe if he looks at the damned letters hard enough at some point before the day is over he  _will_  let himself be excited all over again.

 

End.


End file.
